From jamesjs@unixg.ubc.ca Thu Feb 12 03:21:38 1998
Newsgroups: alt.meditation.shabda
Subject: Naam or Word: A Study of the Sound Current (6/9)
From: jamesjs@unixg.ubc.ca (James Shannon)
Date: 12 Feb 1998 11:21:38 GMT


                        

                             
                             NAAM OR WORD
   
                                  by 

                         Sant Kirpal Singh Ji

                             (1894 - 1974)                           


                               [PART 6]
                            



BOOK TWO

SHABD: THE SOUND PRINCIPLE


    In Sanskrit "Shabd" is a root but we do not know its 
construction, as with other words. It means awaz (sound), 
akhar (word), kalam (talk), Ism (name), zamir (essence), 
bachan (spoken word), wazahat (exposition), sarahat 
(clarity), izhar (expression), taqrir (speech), etc.

Whatever is spoken or heard is Shabd, and it reveals the
real nature of things and explains the hidden reality or
mystery thereof. But in the terminology of the saints, the
term "Shabd" has a much deeper significance, quite 
different from its commonly accepted meaning.


SHABD IS GOD AND IS LIVE PRINCIPLE
  
   Before the creation, Shabd existed in its latent form 
and as such had no name. In this state, It was something 
completely established in Itself and was thus known as 
Ashabd (sound-less), Anaam (nameless), Alakh 
(ununderstandable), Agam  (inconceivable), Akeh 
(unutterable) and Akath (indescribable). When It came 
into manifestation, It was called "Shabd" or "Naam."
          
          
          Shabd when hidden was Anaam,
          Shabd in manifestation became Naam.
                                          
                                     SWAMI SHIVDAYAL SINGH


Before its manifestation, there was no form whatsoever;
nor was there any sun nor moon nor sky nor earth, for
then the Shabd existed by Itself in a formless state. The
essence of Shabd is Pure Consciousness. It is the active
life-principle of the whole creation. It is the Guiding and
Controlling Power behind all that exists. All manifestation
is the result of Shabd and without It nothing exists. It is
the very life-essence of everything. The Muslim divines
call it Jauhar (essence) and the Hindu saints describe It
as Mul (the root cause). It is the vital principle immanent
in every form and permeating all, the visible and the 
invisible. It is the Causeless Cause, the eternal 
self-existing life, running endlessly in and out of time. 
It is the very soul of the Creative Power, all pervading even 
to the purely spiritual realm - Sat Lok. Shabd is the primal 
cause of both birth and dissolution.
        
        
        Both birth and death come about by Shabd,
        Rebirth too is because of Shabd. 1
                                                     
                                               GURU AMAR DAS


Everything from beginning to end exists in Shabd. The
physical elements, the subtle and ethereal powers and
vibrations, the causal seeds and essences, one and all are
from Shabd and nothing but Shabd personified. We live
and have our very being in Shabd and ultimately dissolve
into Shabd. All the scriptures of the world tell us that
Shabd is above the material and efficient cause and All-
Controlling Power of the Universe.
    
    
    He is all in all Himself and revels in His creation by
      supporting it by Shabd. 2
        
                                               GURU NANAK
      
      
      There is none like Thee in the entire creation,
      In Thy Word Thou art manifesting Thyself.
      Whatever Thou wishest, that comes to pass. 3
                                                        
                                               GURU RAM DAS


SHABD: WHAT IT IS 
  
  The subject of Shabd is such that we cannot do justice
to it by discursive reasoning. All that can be said is that
"Shabd" implies the Power of God that has created and is
sustaining the various grand divisions, divisions and sub-
divisions of the vast creation of God. It is a current from
the Ocean of Consciousness and is characterized by Sound-
vibration, or in other words, It is a live and active principle
which, emanating from God, is enlivening all creation. It
is the instrument with which God creates, controls and
sustains His vast universe. It acts as a life-line between 
the Creator and His creation and serves as a golden bridge
between the two. The divine currents, like the ethereal
waves of a radio, are spread out in the atmosphere in all
the directions of the compass, giving out delectable strains
of music. We, however, cannot catch the ethereal vibrations 
and listen to the divine melody until we get in tune
with the Infinite by adjusting our mental apparatus. 

Therefore we become etherealized more and more as we come
in tune with the heavenly music. Shabd is the connecting
link between God and man. In brief, Shabd alone is the
true religion - a binding force that rebinds us to our
Source. All the powers of Nature depend on and work
through this Shabd or the Sound Principle. The Pranas or
the vital airs, that are the source of all energy - 
electrical, mechanical, magnetic or atomic - and are the 
most active agents in the physical material plane, are but 
an outer manifested form of the Shabd. Like the electric 
waves with which the whole atmosphere is charged, Shabd in 
its most subtle form pervades everywhere in Its fullness 
and is thus the Creator. Guru Nanak, in the Jap Ji, has 
called It Hukam and describes Its working:
    
    All things are manifestations of His Will,
    But His Will is beyond description.
    By His Will is matter quickened into life,
    By His Will is greatness obtained.
    By His Will some are born high and others low,
    By His Will (the impious) wander in endless 
      transmigration.
    All exists under His Will,
    And nothing stands outside.
    One attuned with His Will, O Nanak, is wholly free
      from ego. 4

Shabd is of two kinds: outer and inner or Varn-Atmak and
Dhun-Atmak, respectively. The Varn-Atmak to a certain
extent gives a clue to the Dhun-Atmak Shabd. It is a
matter of common experience how martial music stirs up
men to arms, sad dirges bring tears to the eyes, loving
strains bewitch the mind, doleful songs strike the spirit,
solemn notes inspire awe and reverence. Again, the words
of the wise act as a soothing balm for lacerated minds and
smarting taunts cut us to the quick.

   Words there be that cut the very heart-strings,
   And words may lead to profound renunciation,
   Words may work as soothing balm or may strike
     misery,
   Some of them inspire hope and others engender 
     helplessness.
                                                  KABIR
           
       
       What passion cannot Music raise and quell.
                                         
                                                  DRYDEN


When there is so much magic in Varn-Atmak Shabd, one
cannot possibly imagine the Power that lies hidden in the
Dhun-Atmak Shabd, which is very subtle and ethereal in
nature. The inner Shabd is sublime and pure, with an
irresistible magnetic pull which a freed soul cannot but
plunge into.


SHABD IS THE CREATOR

  In all the religious scriptures, "Shabd" is stated to be
the Creator of the Universe. The Vedas tell us that "Nad"
brought into being fourteen Bhavans or regions. In the
Koran, it is mentioned that "Kalma" created fourteen
tabaqs or divisions. St. John, in his Gospel, has written
that "Word" is the root cause of the creation.
    
    In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
      with God, and the Word was God. The same was
      in the beginning with God. All things were made by
      Him: and without Him was not anything made that
      was made. In Him was life; and life was the light
      of men . . .5

The sacred Sikh scriptures also tell of the same thing - the
entire manifestation has sprung from "Shabd" and is being
maintained by Him. The sun, the sky, the earth and the
heavens all are within His Controlling Power and there is
no place where He is not. The immanence of Shabd is all-
pervasive.
           
           Shabd is the directive agent of God,
           And is the cause of all creation.6
                                                             
                                             GURU AMAR DAS
        
        The earth and the sky were made by Shabd,
        Shabd has been the source of all light.
        The whole creation sprang from Shabd,
        O Nanak! Shabd is the very life of life. 7
     
     
     Having set up everything, He beheld His own imprint
       therein,
     He established the beautiful earth and the starry
       welkin,
     He raised the tabernacle of heaven with no pillars to
       support.
    He created the sun and the moon with all the starry
      host and His light is pervading all. 8
                                  
                                             GURU NANAK

Again, "Shabd" is not only the Creator but He is the 
Destroyer also, and the rebirth of the creation takes 
place through Him.

    Both the creation and the dissolution are from Shabd,
    And Shabd again is the cause of re-creation. 9
                                                    
                                             GURU AMAR DAS

In the Hindu scriptures, It is described as the essence of
ether, which goes to show that It is more subtle than ether
and is all-pervading. Its presence, in fact, is felt in the
union of matter and spirit, for every union implies vib-
ration and vibration is caused by Shabd or Sound-the active
life-principle permeating all space, nay receding far back
into Itself; for God too is described as "Shabd," as the
Power of God (Shabd) is not distinct and separate from
God: God and Godhood (God-in-action) always go together.
    
    Thy "Shabd" is Thyself and whatever Thou ordaineth
      that comes to pass. 10
                                                  
                                             GURU RAM DAS


All the religious books, including the Vedas, the oldest of
them, have described "Shabd" as the primal manifest form
of God. In Sama Veda we have,
       
       Shabd is Brahm and "Silence" too is Brahm
       Brahm alone is vibrating everywhere.


The Mohammedan divines tell us that the world owes its
very life and existence to Shabd. Shamas Tabrez says:

   World came into being through Saut (Shabd or Sound
     Principle).
   And from Saut spread all light.


Again Abdul Razaq Kashi tells us,
    
    The Great Name (ism-i-azam) is the very essence
      and life of all names.
    Its manifested form (Shabd) is supporting the entire
      creation,
    It is the great sea in which we all appear as waves.
    He alone can understand this mystery who belongs
      to our order.



SHABD IS NOT THE SUBJECT OF READING, RITUAL OR RECITING

  The Inner Sound Principle is All-Conscious and too
subtle for the ears, the tongue and the pen. It is an 
Unwritten Law and an Unspoken Language. It is self-existing,
self-sustaining and self-supporting and yet is the very life
of all that exists both in the animate and inanimate 
creation. But It can be realized in the deepest depths of 
the soul, for the two are of the same essence, the soul being
but a drop of the Ocean of All-Consciousness. In the Sikh
scriptures, It is also called "Sacha Shabd" or the True
Word:

    With the True Word, one knows the Truth,
    With the True Sound, one sings the glory of the
      Lord. 11
    
                                                  GURU NANAK


    Meditate on the feet of the Master, and leaving aside
      all thy cleverness, be absorbed in the True Word. l2
         
         Remember the Lord, O dear friend,
         And ever love the True Word. 13
                                 
                                                  GURU ARJAN
           
           It can be seen without eyes,
           It can be heard without ears. 14
           
                                                  GURU NANAK


Lao Tze speaks of It:
    
    The Tao that can be expressed is not the eternal Tao;
    The name that can be defined is not the unchanging
     Name. 15


Maulana Rumi says:
    
    The Turks, Kurds, Parsis, Goans and Arabs,
    They have all known It without the aid of lips and  
    ears.


The Upanishadic sages have described It as "Pranav" or
that which can be heard through the pranic vibrations,
without the help of tongue, lips and palate, for It is 
reverberating of Itself in and out of space.
  
  Sant Kabir has called It "Videh" for It is above the
realm of physical existence and can be apprehended by
the soul when it is unclogged from bodily raiment.
    

    All sing of the Shabd without realizing that It is
      Videh or the Bodiless,
    No tongue can describe It, but soul may contact It
      within.
      
                                                 KABIR


Hazrat Bahu says in this context:
    
    Everyone repeats the Kalma orally, by word of
      mouth,
    A rare soul may repeat It with the tongue of thought;
    And whoever repeats It within with loving devotion,
    He cannot describe it in words.

Again,
    
    My Master has taught me a lesson, a lesson that
      goes on repeating Itself,
    And is heard in the ears without the aid of stop-cocks.


Maulana Rumi has beautifully described It:
    
    O God, lead my soul to that blessed place, wherein
    the symphonies flow.


ALL RELIGIONS TEACH OF SHABD

   In all religious books we find references to Shabd or the
Creative Sound Current: Hindu scriptures speak of It as
Shabd Brahm and Ashabd Brahm or Nad, that is responsible 
for the creation of the world. The ancient sages and
seers sang of It in their songs, and called It Shruti, 
meaning "that which is heard." The esoteric teachings were
passed on from Master to disciple and the Word was made
manifest individually after years of spiritual discipline. 

In the Upanishadic Age, it came to be known as Udgit or
Song of the Beyond, meaning at once of the other world
(spiritual) and beyond the senses, for senses could not
comprehend It and one had to transcend them to catch Its
strains. 16 Other words that also came in to use for It are
Pranav and Aum, for It could be heard in the mental ears
alone and could be sung with the pranic vibrations with-
out any outer aid of tongue or lips. In Chapter 6 of the
Maitreya Upanishad it is stated that there are two Brahms,
one Shabd Brahm and the other Ashabd Brahm and to reach 
Ashabd Brahm, one has to meditate, in the first instance, 
on the Shabd Brahm which has different kinds of Sounds 
that can be heard within by stop-cocking the ears with the 
thumbs; and by this means one can cross over to
the Ashabd or Gupt Brahm, a state beyond the three
Gunas and the three mental conditions, and called Turiya
Pad or super-sensual plane.
 
 In Yog-Sandhya, l7 it is enjoined that a yogin, practicing
yogic disciplines, ought to close his ears with the thumbs
and listen within him to the musical strains of the 
Chidakash or mental horizon and thereby still the mind and
attain the Turiya state and merge in the Avyakat.
  
  In Chhandogya Upanishad 18 it is mentioned that Nad
(heavenly music)  springs from the Universal Sun (of
Brahmand) and that this secret was given by Ingris Rishi
to Krishna, the darling son of Devki.
  
  Guru Amar Das tells us, in Rag Bhairon, that Bhakt
Prehlad was saved by Shabd:
    
    It (Shabd) has been the saving lifeline in all the ages,
    Prehlad, the son of the demon-king, knew neither
      Gayatri nor any rituals,
    He became one with God through contact with the
     Shabd. 19
                                               GURU AMAR DAS

In Gita it is said,
    
    Though under the sway of the senses, one feels drawn
      toward God by force of the habit acquired in 
      previous births; nay, even the seeker of enlightenment
      transcends the Shabd Brahm.
    The  yogi,  however,  who  diligently  takes  up  this
      practice, attains perfection in this very life with the
      help of latencies of many births and being thoroughly 
      purged of sin, forthwith reaches the supreme goal. 20


In the Nad-bind Upanishad, 21 we find,
    

    A yogin ought to sit in Sidha Asan (a yogic posture),
      and adopting Vaishnavi Mudra, should hear within
      him the "Sound" coming from the right side.
  

  In Yog Sandhya, an elaborate account is given of the
practice of "hearing the Shabd."
  
  In the Rig Veda  22 and the Atharv Veda  23  there are
hymns in praise of Shabd. In Hans Upanishad of the latter
it is given that one who does japa of the Hans Mantra,
millions of times, comes to the realization of Nad. It is
also stated that Nad consists of ten different types of
melodies, nine of which are to be passed over, and the
tenth, which resembles the sound of the thunder of distant
clouds, is to be meditated upon and practiced, for It takes
one to Par-Brahm.
 
 In Hath Yog Pradipka, 24 there are many Shlokas in
praise of Shabd. In the Vedas, It is spoken of as Nad and
Akash Bani (Voice of Heaven). In the Buddhist scriptures,
It is referred to as Sonorous Light or Flaming Sound.     
 
 The ancient Greeks also spoke of Shabd. In the writings
of Socrates, we read that he heard within him a peculiar
Sound which pulled him irresistibly to higher spiritual
realms. Pythagoras also talked of Shabd. Plato spoke of
It as the "Music of the Spheres." In the Greek language
we have the term Logos, from "logo," to speak, which
stands for the "Word" or Second Person of the Trinity.

This term Logos also figures in both Hebrew and Christian
philosophy and theology and in its mystic sense is used
both by the Hellenistic and Neo-platonist philosophies.
St. John has used the term "Word." It is a Sound Principle
(Shabd) emanating from the Great Silence (Ashabd). In
Chinese scriptures, it is known as Tao. Lao Tze, in the
fourth century B. C., used the word Tao meaning "Road"
or "Way" to denote the Hidden Principle of the Universe.
            
In the Avestic writings of Zoroaster, the Persian prophet
of life, we come across the word Sraosha, which stands for
the angel of inspiration that inspires the Universe. It is a
Power apart from the six spiritual Powers of which Zoroaster 
speaks. It is the cult of Eternal Life and is from the
Sanskrit root "Shru" (to hear) and means that Power of God 
which can be heard. In the Zend Avesta, we have an
invocation to Mazda praying for the gift of Sraosha for
those whom He loves. It is the same as Shabd in the
terminology of the saints.
             
    In our own times from Sant Kabir and Guru Nanak
down to Guru Gobind Singh, the ten Sikh Gurus, Dadu,
Jagjiwan, Tulsi, Darya Sahib, Baba Lal Das, Paltu and
many others preached of Shabd.
              
    Many of the references to this subject in the 
Judaeo-Christian tradition have been given above, in Book One.
              
    Madam Blavatsky, the founder of the Theosophical
Society, has described It as the "Voice of God." In the
Masonic Order we hear of It as the "Lost Word" in search
of which the Mason Masters set up their Order.

    In Koran, there is an Ayat, "God commanded and it was
done," Kun-feu-Kun. This, in fact, is the Kalma of the
Muslims.

    The Sufis, an Order of Muslim mystics, call it Vadan.
It is said:
                
        If the Anaam (Nameless) had not wished to manifest
        Himself and become Naam, there would have been
        no "Sound" and no Universe.
        
Hazrat Inayat Khan, a modern Sufi mystic, tells us that
this creation is nothing but the "Music of God" for It is
the outcome or manifestation of His Power. He calls it
Saute Sarmadi or the intoxicating vintage from the Garden 
of Allah (God) and has given an elaborate description of 
It, as appears from the following account:
   
    All space is filled with Saute Sarmad or the "Abstract
    Sound." The vibrations of this Sound are too fine to
    be either audible or visible to the material ears or
    eyes, since it is even difficult for the eyes to see the
    form and colour of the ethereal vibrations on the 
    external plane. It was the Saute Sarmad, the Sound of
    the abstract, which Mohammed heard in the cave,
    Ghar-e-Hira, when he became lost in his ideal. The
    Koran refers to this Sound in the words: "Be and all
    became"  (Kun-feu-Kun).  Moses  heard  this  very
    Sound on Mount Sinai (Koh-i-Toor), when in communion 
    with God. 
   
    The same Word was audible to the Christ when. absorbed in 
    his Heavenly Father in the wilderness. Shiva heard the 
    same Anahad Naad during his Samadhi in the Himalayas.  The  
    flute of Krishna is symbolic of the same Sound allegorically
    explained. This Sound is the source of all revelation to 
    the Masters to whom It is revealed from within and it is, 
    therefore, that they know and teach the one and
    the same Truth.
     
       The knower of the mystery of the Sound knows the
    mystery of the whole Universe. Whosoever has followed 
    the strains of this Sound has forgotten all earthly 
    distinctions and differences; and has reached the same 
    goal of Truth in which all the Blessed Ones of God 
    unite. Space is within the body as well as around it; 
    in other words the body is in space and space is in 
    the body.
     
       This being the case, the Sound of the Abstract is
    always going on within, around and about man. Man
    does not hear It as a rule, because his consciousness
    is entirely centered in his material existence. Man
    becomes so absorbed in his experiences in the external
    world through the medium of the physical body that
    space,  with  all its  wonders of  Light and  Sound,
    appears to him blank . . . The limited volume of
    earthly sound is so concrete, that it dims the effect of
    the Sound of the Abstract to the sense of hearing;
    although in comparison to It the sounds of the earth
    are like that of a whistle to a drum. When the Abstract 
    Sound is audible, all other sounds become indistinct 
    to the mystic.
      
      The Sound of the Abstract is called Anhad in the
    Vedas, meaning unlimited sound. The Sufis name It
    Sarmad, which suggests the idea of intoxication. The
    word intoxication is here used to signify upliftment,
    the freedom of the soul from Its earthly bondage.
    
    Those who are able to hear the Saute Sarmad and
    meditate on It are relieved from all worries, anxieties,
    fears and diseases; and the soul is freed from captivity
    in the senses and in the physical body. The soul of the
    listener becomes All-pervading Consciousness; and
    his spirit becomes the battery which keeps the whole
    Universe in motion. . . .
      
      This Sound develops through ten different aspects
    because of Its manifestation through the different
    tubes of the body (Nadis); it sounds like thunder,
    the roaring of the sea, the jingling of bells, running
    water, the buzzing of bees, the twittering of sparrows,
    the Vina, the whistle, or the sound of Shankha
    (Conch) until it finally becomes Hu the most sacred
    of all sounds. This Sound Hu is the beginning and end
    of all sounds, be they from man, bird, beast, or thing.
                                          
                                       THE MYSTICISM OF SOUND

   
   In the Muslim scriptures, It is variously described as
Kalam-i-Ilahi (The Voice of God), Nida-i-Asmani (the
Sound from Heaven), Ism-i-Azam  (the Great Name),
Saut-i-Sarmadi  (the Intoxicating Sound), Saut-i-Nasira
(the Sound Melodious), Kalam-i-Majid (the Great Com-
mandment) and Kalam-i-Haq (the Voice of Truth) which
can be heard inside, and It was taught as Sultan-ul-Azkar
or the King of prayers. We have innumerable references
to this Sound in the teachings of the Mohammedan fakirs:
    
    Rise above thy mental horizon, O brave soul,
    And listen to the call of Music coming from above.
                                                        
                                               MAULANA RUMI
    
    The whole world is reverberating with Sound,
    To listen to It thou must unseal thine inner ears,
    Then shalt thou hear an Unending Music,
    And that shall lead thee beyond the confines of death.
                                                         
                                                  SHAH NIAZ
    

    An unceasing Sound is floating down from the heaven,
    I wonder how ye are engaged in pursuits of no avail.
                                                             
                                                     HAFIZ
    
    Drive away all scepticism from thy mind,
    And listen to the strains of heavenly music,
    And receive within thee the messages of God,
    For these come only by holy communion with the self.
    The Prophet declared that he heard the Voice of God,
    And it fell on his ears as clearly as any other sound,
    But God has sealed thy ears,
    And so ye listen not to His Voice.
                                                  
                                               MAULANA RUMI


About the Prophet Mohammed it is said 25 that at the age 
of forty he began receiving messages from God, after he 
had for fifteen years practiced communion with Awaz-Mustqim
(Anhad Shabd or the Ceaseless Word), and had seen the
glimpses of Truth (flashes of heavenly light) for seven
years. At one time he remained for two years in the cave
of Hira in meditation.
 
    It is further stated that the prophet practiced in the cave
of Hira, for six years, the Sultan-ul-Azkar (Surat Shabd
Yoga) and that Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jillani, did the same
for twelve years in that sacred cave. 26
             
All the Sikh Gurus and other saints, time and again,
taught this very thing in very clear terms. Guru Nanak
spoke thus:
                
        With stone-deaf ears thou hast lost all thy wits,
        For thou hast not got contact with the Shabd,
        And by slavery to the Mind thou hast forfeited thy
          human birth;
        Without the Master-soul, one remains blind to the
        Reality. 27
                                               
                                               GURU NANAK
                
        Hundreds of moons and thousands of suns may 
          illumine the world,
        But without a Master-soul, they fail miserably to
          dispel the darkness of the human mind.
        Without contact with Shabd, one remains stark blind
          and deaf,
        Of what avail is their life in this world
        They get not the Water of Life and escape not the
          endless cycle of births. 28
                                                                 
                                               GURU AMAR DAS
                  

        Practice ye the Word of the Master,
        For one knows the Reality through the Word. 29
                                                               
                                               GURU RAM DAS


        Without the Master, there is no holy congregation,
        Without the Word one cannot know the Reality. 30
                                                              
                                               GURU AMAR DAS


From the above it is sufficiently clear that all Master-souls,
whether Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and countless others,
were conversant with the practice of the Word, though
they did not necessarily expound it as a regular science.
Most of them tell of Anhad Shabd only, leading up to
Und and Brahmand or the subtle and cosmic regions. But
perfect saints, irrespective of whether they belonged to
one religion or the other, have gone even beyond this and
have spoken of Sar Shabd and Sat Shabd as well, and of
regions beyond Brahmand (Par-Brahmand, i.e., Sach Khand, 
Alakh and Agam Deshas).


SHABD SIGNIFIES SOUND PRINCIPLE

   What is the sound and how is sound produced, are the
natural questions in this context. Some say that sound is
produced when two things strike, one against the other.
Others say that where there is vibration, there is sound. It
is, of course, true that sound does follow concussion and
vibration. But the Sound of which the saints speak is 
different from what we ordinarily mean in common parlance.
It is something very subtle and is characterized by 
Consciousness as exhibited in fecundity and growth principles.
It is the very life of life that permeates in all things, 
visible and invisible. It is an active and live agent of 
Godhead and may briefly be described as God-in-action. This 
Sound Principle is Jnana or the real knowledge of the Rishis 
of old, the Cult of Eternal Life of Zoroaster, Logos of the
Greeks, Tao of the Chinese, Budhi or enlightenment of
Gautama and Sphota or Sound-essence of the philosophers.
    
      
      Dhun or the Sound Current is both true knowledge
      and true meditation and remains indescribable all
      the same. 31
                                                           
                                                 GURU NANAK


This Sound is in Its fullness in everything, though the
measure of Its manifestation may vary from one thing to
another. It is even in stones and wood, apparently 
insensate things. The fact is that all things in Nature 
are of atoms and atoms are full of energy as the phrase 
"atomic energy" denotes. It is because of this energy that 
the atoms are always in a state of motion and as they 
vibrate, a natural rhythmic sound is produced. Recent 
researches in science testify to this truth.* 
(* Cf. Andrews, Donald Hatch, "The Harmonic Dimensions of 
Nature," MAIN CURRENTS In Modern Thought, Vol. 11, No. 5,  
May 1955).

"Change" is the law of life and it does follow vibration 
and motion, all of which ultimately depend on the Sound 
Principle working in space and out of space.
   

   Every second, every minute and every hour, the world
     is in a state of continuous flux.


Scientists have found that even the mighty Himalayas are
growing from age to age. The growth may be imperceptible, 
but surely it is there-it may be a fraction of an inch
in the course of a century or so. Thus all things in Nature
are characterized by vibration of rhythmic movement and
this in itself implies the presence therein of the Sound
Principle, whether the things are moving visibly or not.
This Sound Principle is the essence or "Jauhar" of one life
in all things.
      

      Things full or empty are yet filled with Music,
      See! how the sound comes from out of the drum.


This Sound Principle is all-pervading and is the very soul
of all that exists. This current of life-consciousness is so
subtle that It cannot be heard unless one acquires tran-
scendental hearing. A mystic has beautifully described It
as follows:
   
   
   Dry  are  the  strings,  the wooden body  and  the
     stretched leather,
   How do they give out the divine melodies?


Sound or Word is in fact the Creator of the Universe. All
this manifestation is because of Him.
       
       
       Had not the Nameless assumed a name,
       The world would not have come into being.


The beloved Lord God has been calling us back from time
out of mind, but the pity is that we do not attend to Him.
      
      
      My friend is ever in converse with thee,
      What a pity! ye listen not to the ancient call.
                                                      
                                                 SHAH NIAZ


The Sound of the Friend or Beloved (God) is reverberating 
everywhere. A Muslim mystic poet says of It:
   

   All the seven heavens are echoing with the Sound,
   The ignorant do not hear It nor catch the strains.
                                                               
                                                    HAFIZ
   
   By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand;
    and seeing ye shall see and shall not perceive. 32
                                                         
                                                   CHRIST


The Sound is by Itself and of Itself. In the material or
physical region and materio-spiritual realms (Pind and
Und), It is mixed up with and enclosed by matter. The
Master makes It manifest in the Sukhman or Shah Rag in
the region of the forehead.
   
   Hear ye the Music in the Sukhman, and get absorbed
    in the unending song.

Again,
   
   And thine ears shall hear a Word behind thee saying,
     this is the Way, Walk ye in It, when ye turn to the
     right hand, and when ye turn to the left. 33
                                                                   
                                                    ISAIAH


For spiritual knowledge and self-realization, the practice
of the Sound Current (Shugal-i-Naghma-i-yazdani) is very
necessary, for it is by hearing the Divine Music that the
soul is pulled out of the material and mental clogs of the
body and is led to higher spiritual regions from where the
Sound whose reverberations are heard below in the body
emanates. It is a continuous and unending Music, of which
Maulana Rumi says,
    
    Catch hold of the Music that lasts through eternity,
    Search for the sun that never sets.


Again, the people of the world are quite ignorant of It.
A rare individual practices It after It is made manifest by
some Master-soul.
   
   Enter ye the temple of the body and listen to the
     divine melodies,
   Those sitting around thee, shall not hear them.
                                                      
                                                MAULANA RUMI


In the noisy swirl of the work-a-day hurried life that we
lead, we cannot hear the soft and gentle echoes of the
Music floating down from afar. All those who practiced
the Sound Current, in whatever time and in whatever
clime, have spoken of these melodies, of course to the
extent of their approach and mental apparatus. Even now,
those persons, whether young or old, who are put on the
Way by some competent Satguru with authority from
above, do bear testimony to this sempiternal experience.
  
  In the Upanishads we have an account of these musical
notes. These resemble to a certain extent the gentle 
murmurs of the vast sea, low rumbling thunders of the 
distant clouds, the continuous splash of a waterfall, and 
ultimately merge into the sound of a conch, and develop 
into the blast of a trumpet, a thundering drum, sharp 
violin and a flute. 34
 
 Mahatma Charan Das, in his book "Bhakti Sagar," has
described ten types of melodies - the sweet warblings of
birds, the chirping of green hoppers, tinkling of bells,
sound of the gong, conch, playing of cymbals, thunder of
clouds, the roar of a lion, violin and flute.
 
 In Hath-yoga Pradipka we have an account of ten kinds
of Nad, like the buzz of flower flies, tinkling of anklets,
sound of conch, bell and cymbals, flute, drum-beat and
other musical instruments, and the roar of a lion, etc.
  
  In Sar Bachan, 35 Swami Shiv Dayal Singh Ji gives a
wonderful account of the divine orchestra, comprising ten
musical notes resembling what has been said above, as one
enters into Sahansdal Kanwal or the region of thousand
petaled lights.
 
 Madame Blavatsky, a Russian theosophist initiated into
theosophy in 1856 while in Tibet, the founder of the 
Theosophical Society and the author of a controversial 
work, "Isis Unveiled," writes in her book "The Voice of 
the Silence:"
   
   The first is like the nightingale's sweet voice chanting
   a song of parting to its mate. The second comes as the
   sound of silver cymbals of the Dhyanis awakening the
   twinkling stars. The next is as the plaint melodies of
   the ocean spirit imprisoned in its shell. And this is 
   followed by the chant of Vina. The fifth like sound of
   bamboo flute shrills in thine ear. It changes next into
   a trumpet blast. The last vibrates like the dull 
   rumbling of a thunder cloud.


Amir Khusro, a great scholar and mystic poet (disciple of
Kh. Nizam-ud-Din Chishti), has described these sounds
thus:
    
    First is the hum of the bees and the second is the
      sound of anklets,
    The third is that of the conch and the fourth that of
      a gong,
    The fifth is a trumpet-blast and the sixth that of a
      flute,
    The seventh is of a Bhir, the eighth of a mardang
      (drum beat) and the ninth of a Shahnai (Naferi).
    And the tenth doth resemble the roar of a lion,
    Such indeed is the Heavenly Orchestra, O Khusro.
    In these ten melodies a yogin gets absorbed,
    The senses get stilled and so doth the mind, saith
      Khusro.
    With the flourish of limitless Music within,
    All the lusts of the flesh and the deadly sins fly off,
    The Master too has a wonderful world of his own,
    Khusro is now fully engrossed within himself. 36

All these melodies come swarming within as the pilgrim
soul starts on the Path; but of all these, one must catch the
sound of a gong or a conch for these in particular are 
connected with the higher spiritual realms, the various 
mansions in the house of our Father,
    
    None knows where the abode of the Beloved is,
    But sure enough the sound of the gong comes floating
      therefrom.
                                                          
                                                    HAFIZ


Shabd has divine melody in It:
    
    True Word emanates the melodies of Sehaj, and the
      mind gets absorbed in Truth,
    Ineffable and wonderful is the Word of the 
      Immaculately Pure, and only a Guru's devotee 
      implants It. 37
                                                
                                                GURU AMAR DAS


WHY DO WE MOT HEAR THE SOUND PRINCIPLE?
  
  Though Shabd is ever reverberating in each one of us,
we do not hear It. The reason for this is not hard to find.
So long as the mind stuff is in a state of perpetual storm
and stress, is torn by countless conflicting passions and
desires, feeds fat on the food of egotism, and is tossed
about on the endless waves of worldly life, it cannot 
possibly catch the slow and sublime rhythmic vibrations 
of the subtle Sound, nor acquire any love for It.
    
    As long as the mind is in a state of perpetual flux
      and unrest, and is filled with thoughts of I-am-ness,
    Shabd fails to impart its sweet fragrance and Naam
      fails to inspire love and attraction. 38
      
                                                GURU RAM DAS

Maulana Rumi likewise says:
    
    Your ears cannot listen to the Music of the Sound;
    Perverted as you are, you have lost the very sense of
    hearing.


In the Gospel of St. Matthew, Christ says:
    
    For this peoples' heart is waxed gross, and their ears
      are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed;
      lest any time they should see with their eyes, and
      hear with their ears, and should understand with
      their heart, and should be converted and I should
      heal them. 39


Shabd is the Voice of God and His primal manifestation

It is pervading everywhere in and out of space.
   
   The Word of the Master shows the Way to God-
     realization. 40
     
                                              GURU NANAK


This Sound Principle has often been referred to as "Bani"
as well:
    
    Bani has been reverberating through the four ages,
    Emanating from Truth, It sings of Truth. 41
                                                       
                                              GURU AMAR DAS


The Bani pervades everywhere. It is known as Shabd or
Naam, and has sweetness in It.
      
      In every age, Bani has been known as Shabd,
      Sweet is the Naam and mind longs for it. 42
                                                      
                                              GURU AMAR DAS

What a pity! for the Jiva, clogged as it is and hemmed in
by mind and matter on all sides, has lost the angel in him
and as such cannot listen to the subtle and sublime Sound
of the Beloved.
    
    Alas! Ye are imprisoned behind the walls of the
      finitude (body and bodily adjuncts),
    And listen not to the sublime Sound of the Merciful.
                                                        
                                                MAULANA RUMI


This sound is an eternal call for a return home:
          
          There comes a perpetual call from afar,
          Calling thee back to thine own home.
                                                          
                                                TULSI SAHIB

The Sublime Sound cannot of course be heard by the 
physical ears. There is a way for our listening to the 
divine Music which can be heard by the inner faculty of 
transcendental hearing, and this can be trained, developed 
and pressed into service through the grace of some Master-
soul;  for no amount of worldly knowledge, wisdom and
ingenuity can help in this. Though science has not yet been
able to probe into this mystery, yet it can be resolved and
experienced by actual experimentation in the laboratory of
the Self with the instruction and guidance of the Saints.
The results of recent scientific investigations have now
revealed the presence of rhythmic motion even in atoms,
and scientific findings are every day coming closer to
reality.


HOW CAN WE LISTEN TO THE SOUND PRINCIPLE?

 The next natural question is how the Shabd can be 
contacted and attuned with. The saints tell us that we can
listen to the Sound Principle if we can introvert and stop
listening to the outer sounds of the world around us. In
other words, we must learn to recede into our own Self by
a process of inversion and become a Pure Self by releasing
the soul from the prison of the facts of life, before we can
qualify the Self for Self-realization, which comes by 
listening to the Sound Current. A holy communion with and
practice of the Sound gradually disenfranchises the soul
of all that is of the world and reveals the cult of love, 
life and light that is at the back of all creation. We have, 
in brief, to stop the energy flowing out through the sense-
organs, particularly the eyes, ears, and tongue and 
concentrate it at the still-point in the body, the center 
of the soul, leaving the mind high and dry, before we can 
listen to the Music of the soul in Its fullness.
    

    Close down the three outlets and attend to the cease-
      less Music,
    O Nanak! in the deep silence of the soul, there is a
      perpetual light with no sunrise and sunset. 43

Kabir says:

      Close down thine eyes, ears and mouth,
      And hear ye the unending melody of the Shabd.

Shah Niaz tells us:
    
    Sound is pervading the whole world in Its fullness,
    Ye can surely listen to It with transcendental hearing,
    This ye can do by closing the outer bodily ears,
    For surely then shall ye hear the endless song,
   And It shall take you beyond the sway of destruction
     and dissolution.


Apart from the physical senses, we have with us subtle
senses much more powerful than the physical. At present
these subtle senses are lying dormant and unused. They
can, by regular practice, be wakened into consciousness
and pressed into use in the astral world, where we can
witness and experience supra-mental patterns and colors
just as we do on the physical plane; nay, with much more
clarity and understanding than we do here.
    
    Along with the five physical senses, we are endowed
      with five subtle senses as well,
    These are of solid gold when compared with the
      others of copper.
                                                      
                                            MAULANA RUMI


Shabd can thus be heard by the ears of thought. Both the
soul and the Shabd are of the same spiritual essence and
as such soul can, without the aid of physical senses, 
apprehend the subtle Sound.
    
    Soul is of the essence of God and is His very own Self,
    And It can sing His praises in an unspoken language 
      without any outer aids (tongue, lips or palate).

In the holy Koran also it is stated that soul is the fiat or
decree of God. It is His authorization that pervades every-
where, upholding the sky and the earth and all that exists.


WHERE DOES SHABD DWELL AND HOW CAN IT BE CONTACTED? 
  
  There are ten portals of the body, of which nine are
visible while the tenth is invisible.
   The citadel of the body has nine open doorways,
    while the tenth is closely shut in secret,
   None can have access through the tentb, the Way in,
     except through practice of the Guru's Word. 44
                                                      
                                             GURU AMAR DAS

   
   Enter ye in at the Strait gate: for wide is the gate and
     broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and
     many there be which go in thereat: because strait
     is the gate and narrow is the Way, which leadeth
     unto life, and few there be that find it. 45

   Strive to enter in at the strait gate; for many, I say
     unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be
     able. 46
                                               CHRIST

As long as the soul is wandering in and out of the nine
portals of the body, it is always unwillingly being drained
of its secret energy or Johar. With this constant flow of
energy outside, it remains a complete stranger to the 
Reality within its own self and does not know the latent 
potentialities of Godhood lodged in its very nature.
   
   
   A whore (mind ridden soul) madly in love with the
    nine portals can hardly get to Reality. 47
                                                KABIR


Guru Amar Das also advises that we should close down
our nine portals, still the mind and then "tap inside" 
(as Emerson puts it) and push our way into the mansion of
the Beloved from where unceasing Music is flowing down
day and night, which can be contacted through the practice
enjoined by a Master-soul.
    
    
    Closing down the nine doors, seek ye the tenth that
     leads to thy True Home,
    There the ceaseless Music plays round the clock and
      can be heard through the Master's Dispensation. 48
                                                 
                                            GURU AMAR DAS

Guru Nanak describes this so beautifully:
    
    Sukhmana, Ida and Pingla cannot be known unless
      the Inconceivable makes one conceive,
    O Nanak! the True Master makes the Word audible
      by bringing one above the three. 49


This means that one cannot fully commune with the Word
of the True Master unless one completely transcends body
consciousness. In the realm of mind and matter, as far as
the five tattwas reign supreme, the Sound Current works
through them for the benefit of the physical creation; but
beyond them is the Word in Its primordial form unalloyed 
by any of these things.
 
 The Sound Principle stands by Itself and is independent
of everything for It is self-existing. The siddhas once
asked Guru Nanak,
    
    
    Where does the Sound abide that ferries us across the
      ocean of delusive matter?
    Whereon stand the Pranas (vibrations), as they ex-
      tend out ten fingers from the nostrils?


Guru Nanak thus replied,
    
    The Sound Principle abides in us; though indescribable, 
      yet I find It immanent everywhere,
    The Pranas are rooted in the region of silence, but the
      Sound Principle is All-pervasive in Its fullness and
      is self-existent. 50

Shabd is the very life of our life. It is a part of our being
and we cannot do without It even for a single moment.
But we cannot contact It unless we rise above body con-
sciousness.
    
    Search for the Sound (the soul essence) in the body,
      and thou shalt be saved,
   By devotion to the Master, I enjoy perpetual peace,
     for in me is Sound, the crest jewel of all virtues. 51
                                   
                                                     NANAK


Our human body is a receiving set for catching the Sound
Current and like a radio, has to be adjusted properly to
bring it in tune with the ethereal waves. The Master, at
the time of initiation, connects the spirit within with the
lowest link of the All-pervading Sound and this contact
can be developed by day to day practice, to any length one
may like.



                          [End of Part 6]
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